28-02-2020 | di COOPI

Lebanon. Don't WASTE your WASTE

Since June 2018, COOPI has led a European Union funded project in Lebanon, “SWaM Akkar. Supporting Sustainable Solid Waste Management in Jurd al-Kaytee, Akkar”, in collaboration with local, Italian and international organisation (COSPE, Masa, AUB, Coop. Erica, StudioAzue and the Municipality Jurd al Kaytee).

Among the numerous objectives, the elaboration of a participative Waste Management Master Plan for Jurd al-Kaytee area plays a central role. It includes the implementation of a series of awareness raising action for local population, in order to build a public common consciousness about the issue of solid waste and to mobilize communities towards a stronger sense of respect towards the environments they live in.

So the consortium launched the awareness campaign “don’t WASTE your WASTE” whose aim is triggering a positive attitude and a strong local commitment towards an appropriate domestic waste recycling practices within the local community. Activities such as group meetings and door to door visit will approach around 15,000 individuals between local authorities and community leaders, associations and households of the areas, shop owners, students and teachers.

Awareness activities in schools will improve the respect of the environment (no littering and abandonment) with a focus on a conscious use of resources and orientation on sustainable behaviours. In this context, the consortium has been organizing meetings with teachers to present educational activities and tools, implementing environmental education workshops, arranging local events of ‘Clean Up Your School’, dealing tips for classroom activities. Between November and December 2019, the consortium organized 7 Teachers training sessions, addressing 26 teachers.

The activity 'Clean up your school'

Today, solid waste management represents a challenge in Lebanon. Indeed, national policies on this issue are still not properly applied. Moreover, the quick rising of people living in Lebanon (as a consequence of the arrival of hundreds of thousands Syrian refugees escaping the war over the border) caused a significant rise of waste production and reduced the resources and administrative capacities of local authorities. Therefore, the project wants to give an answer to this emergency trying to follow the Waste Management Plan issued by the Lebanese government. Up to March 2019, the project targeted 120,625 persons living in the 15 Municipalities of Jurd el-Kaytee and 3,975 Syrian refugees living in the area.